Alicia Human

We continue our series, Reality Check about the crazy and drama-filled life of David. We pick up the story in 2 Samuel 6 where David is now the King of Israel. He wants to welcome God into his reign. But instead of doing it the right way, he takes a shortcut with deadly consequences. As we unpack this passage, we are going to find there are no shortcuts with God.

Small Group Questions

What did you learn about the Ark of the covenant from the sermon? And what shortcut did David take when transporting the Ark?

God is not arbitrary in His commands. There is always a purpose to what He asks us to do. How have you seen this play out in your own life?

What are shortcuts we take with God? Why are there no shortcuts with God? What happens when we try to take those shortcuts?

How is God worthy of our worship? Should this influence our desire to take shortcuts? Why?
When have you tried to take a shortcut with God? What happened?

Have you ever wondered why we are so obsessed with Reality TV? I think maybe it has something to do with loving to watch all the drama because somehow, it makes us feel better to know we aren’t as bad as them! But we all have drama, and in the midst of that drama, how do we find the life God designed us to have? We can learn a lot about life from a guy named King David! That’s what we’re talking about this Sunday.

Small Group Questions

What Reality TV shows do you like to watch? What’s your favorite part of the show? Why? How can your own personal life sometimes feel like Reality TV?

David’s life definitely comes off like Reality TV. When you think through all that happens in 1 Samuel chapters 1-4, how would you describe David’s life at that point? If you found yourself in a similar place, how would you feel? How do you think David felt about having had to wait so long to become king when God has promised him that so much earlier?

David actively waited for God’s timing. What does “active waiting” mean to you? How would you practice that in your own life? What does it mean to really “wait” on something?

What are you waiting on in your life right now that you believe God has promised you? What are you doing in the mean time? What’s your next step?

How are you taking steps to do your part in the church to change the world? What steps have you made? What is your next step?

It was way, way past my bedtime. I was breaking the rules, but it was okay because I was breaking the rules with my mom! In my house, rules were just a part of life, and while I was young, my parents were sticklers on bed times. They knew this guy needed a full night’s sleep, or he would be a bear the next day. But, my mom broke that rule when it came to Magnum, P.I. On that night, she would let me stay up with her and watch her favorite show. I felt so honored and loved. She made me feel so special. I know my mom had guilt from not always being at all of my activities, but she more than made up for it by “breaking the rules” with me.

“Fair” can be a really crappy word when we use it in how we deal with one another. On the one hand, we want to be treated fairly, not abused. But on the other, what we really want is to be cherished, honored, desired, and valued. And if we are being honest, we really want more of those things than we deserve. We want to be spoiled. We want someone to “break the rules” for us!

This is one of the things I just really love about our Brooklife family. We don’t just do what is fair or what is right. We do our best to go above and beyond, to love like Jesus loves us. We do our darnedest to spoil people. We want them overwhelmed by goodness. We want them to have a place where they can feel safe and secure to question God, to question us, to question everything. They don’t necessarily deserve that, but that is what love does.

Last year at a conference some of the staff attended, we learned a phrase that has stuck with us. In fact, some of the ladies even bought t-shirts with the phrase. Every time I see it, it reminds me to not be fair but to be loving. It reminds me to spoil someone. It reminds me to “break the rules” for someone, because Jesus broke the rules for us. Here’s the question I hope you’ll ponder with me, “What does love require of me?”

This Sunday, it’s Mother’s Day, and we want to celebrate all of our great moms! We’ll have a special gift for each mom and a photo op so you can capture a memory of this great day! Most importantly, we’ll have Katie Ewing sharing with us from personal experience how God is always with us, not just in the good times but in the middle of the times that seem almost unbearable. Don’t miss this Sunday! See ya here at 9 or 10:30am!

It’s Still Not Over! We’ve got ourselves squared away with Jesus, but what now? Does God really believe He can change the world through me? The answer is YES, YES, YES! God wants to use you to bring life, love and hope to this world. This Sunday, I want to show you how.

Small Group Questions

Have you ever really “devoted” yourself to someone? What did/does that look like? Have you ever devoted yourself to some thing? What did/does that look like? What does it require of you?

Please read Acts 2:42-47. What kind of pronouns show up throughout this passage? Throughout the New Testament of the Bible, God’s focus is almost always on us working together. Why do you think that is so important? Why is working together so complicated? Is it worth it to figure out how to work together?

Please discuss what it means to be devoted to the following: the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Which of those things is hardest for you to really get into? Why? What would make it easier? Would doing any of these things together make them easier or more fulfilling?

Jesus called us to change the world…together. How are you taking steps to do your part in the church to change the world? What steps have you made? What is your next step?

So Easter has come and gone again. Jesus died and rose again…now what? Where do we go from here? What do we do with Jesus? That’s what I’m so excited to share with you this Sunday! It’s Not Over! It’s Only Just Begun!

Small Group Questions

When you think of what it means to “really blow it” in life, what comes to mind? Have you ever really blown it? How does thinking of that time make you feel? Do you often think of how you really blew it? Why do you think it has left such a mark on you?

Please read Acts 2:22-24, 36-37. Peter uses some strong language with these fellow Jews. How do you think the Jews felt during Peter’s challenge? What do you think was the heart behind them asking, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Recognizing how each of us have blown it with Jesus and the life He has given us, do you find yourself asking the same question? Why or why not?

Please read Acts 2:38-40. Thankfully, Peter doesn’t leave us hanging and tells us what to do. What does Peter mean when he tells them to repent? What is Peter talking about when he tells them to be baptized? Why are both of these steps so essential to forgiveness? What is forgiveness? Do you feel forgiven? Why or why not? Are you hanging on to your failure even though God has forgiven you? If so, why?

Peter had blown it. Peter repented. Peter went public with his faith. Peter embraced forgiveness. And Peter became a bold voice for Jesus. We see in Peter a progression. Where are you at in the progression? What’s your next step to move to having a bold (or bolder) voice for Jesus?

This Sunday, we kick off our Easter Celebration with this thought, “It’s Not Over!” No matter where you are in your life. No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, because of Jesus and His resurrection, “It’s Not Over!”

Small Group Questions

Have you ever experienced something in your life where you felt like your life was over? If you are willing, please share that experience with the group. What makes moments like that so hard to recover from? In those moments have you ever asked God why this happened to you?

Please read Matthew 21:1-11. What do you think was the mindset of the people who were cheering for Jesus? Why do you think Jesus was riding on the foal of a donkey?

Please read Matthew 21:12-13. What do you think Jesus’ rationale was in jumping off the donkey and immediately flipping tables in the temple? We see very few times that Jesus was truly angry. This is one of them. Why? How does that apply to how Jesus would view our world today?

The Jews were looking for Jesus to fix their problem. We are looking for Jesus to fix our problem. How does Jesus’ way of fixing our problems differ from the way we would like it done? Why is that so frustrating for us? What choice do you have? What choice will you make?

We’ve learned so much about our spirituality over the last couple of weeks. But I want to wrap up with what it truly means to be spiritual. What is it like to live spiritually? And what’s the big deal if I don’t?

Small Group Questions

What does it mean to you to worship something? What does it mean to you to be truth? When it comes to our interactions with God, what does it mean to worship God? To be truth with God?

Please read the story of the Woman at the Well from John 4:1-26. What jumps out at you from this story? If you were this woman, how would you have reacted to Jesus? How would you have handled it when Jesus told you to go and get your husband? Why do you think Jesus brought this part of the woman’s life up?

Many times when we talk about truth, we talk about the right content or information. Jesus was pushing for the woman to understand a deeper truth, her condition and her need for God in her life. How does Jesus mentioning “eternal life” reinforce that concept?

What is spirituality? According to Jesus, to truly relate to God correctly we must worship in spirit and truth. What does that mean? What will life be like if we only understand the truth but do not lean into our connection with God? What will life be like if we both embrace truth and our need for connection with God? What can you do to more fully embrace “worshiping in spirit and truth”?